Emmerdale star Ryan Hawley has been flooded with supportive messages from fans after sharing a lengthy and heartbreaking post about his best friend's death.
Ryan is best-known for his role as Robert Sugden on the ITV soap, a role he played between 2014 to 2019. He was a firm favourite among fans and his relationship with Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) had viewers glued to their seats.
The actor has recently taken to Instagram to issue a heartbreaking plea as he gets set to run the London Marathon in honour of his best friend, who tragically died of a brain tumour.
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Ryan is raising money for the hospice which provided care for his friend Nick and his family during his five-year battle with a brain tumour. Nick died in 2020, leaving behind two twin girls.
The former soap star will take on the challenge alongside Nick’s wife Victoria and two other friends. In an emotional plea, Ryan shared a series of photos of himself and Nick on his fundraising page, saying: "This is Nick - My best friend! In 2015, at the age of 29, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
“He spent the next 5 years battling the disease whilst simultaneoulsy getting the most out of his life, even as his condition worsened.
"He married the love of his life and became a dad to his beloved twin girls. Early in 2020, Nicks diagnosis became terminal and sadly he passed away that November at the age of 34.”
The actor went on to describe his friendship with Nick, saying: "Nick really was like a brother to me: loyal, intelligent, patient, compassionate, a fierce competitor and very, very funny.
“We did everything together growing up; same classes at school, played in the same football team, travelled wherever we could, made fun of each other a lot and were even best men at each other's weddings.
“Now I, along with his incredible wife Victoria, and two other friends, are attempting to raise money for the hospice that provided Nick and his family with care and comfort at the end of his fight.”
Ryan explained he had chosen to tackle the London Marathon as it was something Nick was planning to do himself before the pandemic hit and "his subsequent sharp decline in health".
He said: "We are running the London Marathon - something that Nick had been preparing for before the pandemic and his subsequent decline in health. It would mean the world to me to be able to show my appreciation to this Hospice that cared for my friend and family when he needed it most!"
You can donate to Ryan’s fundraising effort by clicking here. So far Ryan has raised £1,740 of his £2,000 target.
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